Hand-stamp.



No. 732,236. PATENTED JUNE so, 1903.

\ E. M. TILDEN.

HAND STAMP. APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 10, 1902.

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1s rzrznsw. PHOI'O-UTHQ, WASHINGTON a c PATENT Patented June 30, 1903.

OFFICE.

EUGENE M. TILDEN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

HAN D-STAM P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 732,236, dated June 30, 1903.

Application filed September 10, 1902. Serial No. 122,892. (No model.)

To all whmn it nwty concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE M. TILDEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Hand-Stamp, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to handstamps, and particularly to one adapted for use in connection with the rural free delivery post-office service.

An objection inherent to all hand-stamps now employed by-the Post-Office Department is the difficulty of obtaining a clear imprint from the stamp-legends upon mail-matter. This is due partly to the necessarily hurried manner in which the stamps are used. and partly from the fact that as the head and handle are rigidly associated, and thus nonyielding, if the stamp be held in a position other than Vertical in use an imperfect or blurred imprint will inevitably result. Various means have been devised to obviate this defect, among which may be named the ordinary cushioned-head stamp; but even this, Without the exercise of care in its use, will not overcome the objections above noted, for the reason that the range of yield of the head to impacts other than vertical is so slight that while producing clear and sharp imprints when properly used yet should the impact be at an angle to the face of the mailmatter one side of the printed legend will always be blurred or practically obliterated.

The object of the present invention is in a ready, simple, inexpensive, feasible, practical, and positive manner and without exercise of particular care to insure perfect imprints of the stamp legends, whether the stamp be held vertical or be tilted in use, and, further, without necessitating any change in the stamping elements to overcome the objections noted.

With these and other objects in View, as will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists, generally stated, in a hand-stamp that is bodily yieldablethat is to say, yieldable vertically and longitudinally-thereby to cause it in use to adapt itself to the configuration of the surface of the object impacted, thus to produce sharply and clearly defined imprints from the stamping elements.

The invention consists, further, in the novel construction and combination of parts of a hand-stamp, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts, there is illustrated one form of embodiment of invention capable of carrying the same into practical operation, it beingunden stood that the elements therein exhibited may be varied or changed as to shape, proportion, and exact manner of assemblage without departing from the spirit thereof, and in these drawings Figure 1 is a view in perspective of astamp embodying the essential features of the pres ent invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the dating characters removed to show the manner in which the changeable characters are held within the date-slot and kept properly spaced apart. Fig. 3 is a view in vertical longitudinal section through a portion of the head, exhibiting more particularly the means for holding the dating type or elements within the date-slot, and also showing an inking-pad associated with the device. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective detail view of the date-type keeper. i

-Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the head of a stamp, 2 the handle, and 3 a neck or transversely-reduced portion connecting the handle and head, all of the parts being integral and made of a yielding material, preferably of rubber. with it in some permanent manner, as by being cementedthereto, characters or printing elements employed in the cancellation of mail-matter, in this instance the stamp-canceling and station-indicating element 4and the elements 5 and 6, bearinglegends indicating, respectively, the character of the delivery and the place whence the matter is mailed. The head is further provided with a date-slot 7 to house the dating-type 8, which may he of the usual or any preferred character, and in order to retain the type in posi- The head has associated tion within the slot and also to efiect their proper spacing there is arranged within the slot a metallic keeper 9, constructed of a strip of metal bent into rectangular convolntions, the walls of which operate by frictional contact with the dating characters to hold them positively associated with the head and also spaced at properdistances apart. The keeper is detachable from the slot to facilitate change of the date-type.

In order to increase the yielding action between the head and the handle under impacts that are other than vertical, thus toinsure clear imprints from the printing elements, the neck adjacent to its point of juncture with the head is provided on both sides with a series of sockets or depressions 10, which weaken the-stamp-body at those points and render the head more responsive to automatic adjustment to the surface imprinted.

In the use of the stamp no special care need be exercised to cause the printing characters squarely to impact the matter to be canceled for the reason that the flexible handle and neck and the yielding character of the stamp as a whole will compensate for any angular disposition of the stamp-face with relation to such matter, so that even if one edge of the stamping-face strikes the mail-matter under the force of the impactthe neck or handle will yield and the face will impinge squarely upon the matter, and thus transfer a clear and sharply-defined imprint. As herein shown, the head is rectangular in form; but it will be apparent that the same ideas may be carried into efiect in connection with a circular head, and as this will be well understood detailed illustration thereof is omitted.

A desideratum with devices of this character is that efiicient inking mechanism shall be provided forming a part of the stamp-outfit, which shall always be accessible for use. In the present invention there is provided a combined ink-pad and type-shield 11, constructed of metal, and being made somewhat smaller in external area than the head, so that when associated therewith it will be held against accidental separation therefrom through the frictional resistance presented by the perimeter of the head against the walls of the shield. The shield incloses a pad 12, holding a suitable ink adapted for use in connection with devices of this character.

By reason of the fact that all of the parts of the stamp except the date-type keeper are constructed of rubber the stamp as a whole is practically indestructible, is noiseless in use, is not injurious or tiresome to the hand of the user, and is much lighter in weight than the hand-stamps in ordinary use. Furthermore, owing to the yielding or resilient character of the stamp as a whole it will readily adapt itself to surfaces other than those perfectly flat-say those slightly curveda result impossible of attainment with stamps having metallic heads to which the stamping-face is attached.

The metallic type-keeper 9 is made of thin flexible metal bent so as to present a plurality of rectangular convolntions for receiving the groups of type composing the date-line, as shown. This formation of the keeper is such as to permit bending in a vertical plane, as the metal is so thin that when bent in that direction but little force is required to produce a decided curvature. This degree of flexibility is necessary in order to permit the desired amount of. yielding in the stamp to cause it to accommodate itself to surfaces that are slightly curved when the curvature is disposed longitudinally of the stamp. The keeper, however, while made of material sufficiently flexible to give the desired amount of yielding in a vertical plane is stiff enough to resist effectively strains tending to bend it in a horizontal plane. The value of this stiffness in one plane and flexibility in another will be readily apparent, as the resistance to lateral bending in a horizontal plane keeps the date-line and the characters on either side thereof always straight, while the flexibility of the keeper in vertical plane permits the stamp to conform, as already stated, to

slightly-curved surfaces when the curvature is in a line extending longitudinally of the stamp.

What I claim is-- 1. A hand-stamp formed wholly of indiarubber and having a stiifener adapted to prevent lateral bending but to permit vertical bending.

2. A hand-stamp formed wholly of yieldable material and having embedded therein a strip of flexible metal so placed as to permit bending in a vertical plane and prevent lateral bending in a horizontal plane.

3. A hand-stamp comprising a head and a handle constructed of rubber and formed integral, the handle or neck adjacent to the head being provided at intervals on either side with recesses to increase the yielding action between the parts under impacts that are other than vertical.

4. A hand-stamp comprising a head and a handle constructed of rubber and formed integral, the head being provided with a slot or recess, permanent printing elements secured directly to the head, and a detachable keeper for holding the changeable elements disposed within said slot.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE M. TILDEN.

Witnesses:

O. WARRENER, FRANK S. APPLEMAN. 

